


Fond and Lost

by strikeyourcolors



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond
Genre: Batfamily Feels, Battle for the Cowl, Conflict Resolution, Emotional Baggage, Family Dynamics, Gen, Old Man Bruce Wayne, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 21:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17332259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strikeyourcolors/pseuds/strikeyourcolors
Summary: “Sorry, Babs, but who decided you were queen in this castle?” Jason asks. “Because I'm not really willing to hold hands with Dickface and have anyone breathing down my neck.”“Which Bruce will be doing,” Tim points out.“If he's still breathing,” Jason counters.~*~*~With Bruce on what could be his death bed, there's still a decision to be made over who becomes Batman. Tim sees logic, Barbara keeps order, and no one listens to Terry.Maybe calling the family together after all these years wasn't the best plan.





	Fond and Lost

**Author's Note:**

> This follows [Lost and Found](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12214692) beginning immediately after. You don't, however, have to read it for this to make sense. Bruce is sick. Batman is up for grabs. You've been filled in. I didn't want yet another series but in the future I might place them together. 
> 
> This veers more toward Batman Beyond cartoons over the comics. It's probably not canon-compliant any longer.

He's pretty sure that Commissioner Gordon is only here because she has a gun and they are going to need it. Terry doesn't question beyond that. He knows better and he's a little terrified of everyone in the room if he's completely honest. Which he won't be. He's totally just staying because he's being paid to stay in the house while Bruce is sick. Yep. Totally that. 

Damian Wayne (Bruce's son! His actual biological son!) has been untied and is sitting in Bruce's chair with Ace's head on his knee and a cup of tea in one hand. He still looks absolutely enraged despite it being a full day since he'd arrived and had demanded the Red Hood be brought to him with all the imperious nature of Captain Hook asking for Peter Pan. 

“You should be having second thoughts, kid,” Barbara Gordon tells him. “Third and fourth, too. Just when you think you're out of this family? It sucks you back in.” 

“If you hadn't sucked something else-” Damian begins and Grayson, who had been near a window looking for all the world like he wanted to jump out of it, turns sharply at him with a kind of fury in his eyes that is rivaled only by the police commissioner's. 

“Can we not?” Tim questions tiredly. “Can we just get business done and go back to our families and our normal lives?” Terry is surprised to realize that Tim Drake isn't a bad looking man. He's scarred up from the way the Joker carved his face, but even those only appear in certain light. They all wear physical proof of this life, but it's like a visible weight on what was once a middle child of the family. 

“I don't understand why we're here,” Dick says. “Bruce is alive. Stubborn old bastard isn't in a hurry to die.” 

“He's out of commission,” Tim reminds him. “He's still probably not mentally sound enough to make decisions and who knows how long that will last? But the death protocols haven't been engaged so we don't know-” 

“Wait,” Terry cuts in and pretends not to notice the slightly hostile and slightly curious looks he gets. “Death protocols?”

For a moment there is nothing but silence. “When one of us dies,” Tim says at last since he's apparently going to be the only helpful person here. “It engages particular files to open in the computer. Last wills and requests. Last plans. Things like that.” 

“Proof of who murdered you maybe, if you were working on a case,” Jason says. He's still in a leather jacket and Terry's mind is boggling that he's older than Tim because he looks about twenty years younger than him. His only reply to the question of how he looked that way was “sunscreen” and Terry doubts that's really the case. He breezes in with a variety of sandwiches and drinks like he owns the house and, from what Terry's seen, he may as well own the kitchen. “You don't have death protocols set up?”

“Of course he wouldn't; he's a kid,” Barbara snaps. 

“That didn't stop what happened to me,” Jason returns casually, meeting her gaze in a kind of brave and probably suicidal way that Terry can only dream about. 

“Bruce has a death protocol,” Tim continues, raising his voice above them to be heard like a parent trying to overrule arguing children. “He has to. He's always had it. It might be a little outdated but-” 

“Are you kidding? He would have changed it the day he argued with any of us,” Jason spits. 

Damian huffs. “Father is not so petty, Todd. I thought it was always decided I would take the role of Batman.”

Dick shakes his head. “You don't want the mantle of Batman.”

“Also,” Tim adds. “Wouldn't being League of Assassins kind of conflict with that?”

Terry is used to being ignored when so called adults are talking but this is a little much. “I'm right here,” He reminds them. “And I'm Batman.”

They all start laughing. It would be a great tension breaker if it weren't so terribly disheartening. Even the Commissioner snickers a little behind her hand before she schools her face. “He does wear the suit and he doesn't do terribly.” Which is a slight compliment. 

“The Old Man is Batman,” Jason replies. “This kid just plays dress up for him.” 

“I didn't see any of you stepping up when he needed someone,” Terry fires back and wonders if he's going to regret it. “I didn't know most of you existed, actually.” 

Surprisingly, it's Dick who rises to the bait. “You ever stop to think there were reasons for that, kid? Bruce hasn't exactly been the best to us. To any of us.” 

It sobers the mood and Terry is furious. On the outside looking in. Bruce has always kept secrets and Terry has always been aware of it but never has it been forced in his face like this. He's not first string but with everyone else here? He's probably not even fifth string, if any of them had actually stuck around or expressed an interest in becoming Batman. 

Barbara clears her throat and rattles the ice in her drink. “Even so,” She says and she's probably the last person that Terry would expect to take up for Bruce. Among the Police Department? Maybe. Here with her family? She's pretty high on the list of people Bruce fucked up even if she landed on her feet. “Until he recovers enough to give his directives, one of us needs to stay. For the sake of Batman's secret. For his legacy, because that means more than the man.”

“I'm Batman,” Terry says. “I'll handle-” 

“You're so green you're sprouting,” Todd replies. “No offense, kid.” But there's plenty of offense to be taken at his tone.

“I don't think any of us have a desire to actually put on the suit,” Tim cuts in. “I refuse to even set foot in that cave again. But you need someone in your ear. Someone running interference for you.” 

“So that rules out Timmy,” Jason says cheerfully. Too cheerfully. “I got killed by the guy and I still go into the Cave. You get a little cut up-”

“You weren't there,” Tim replies quietly, like he's still being tortured. There's something there, Terry thinks. Some pain that doesn't have anything to do with physical torture and everything to do with emotional wounds. He'd rather dance naked through a Jokerz hangout than open those. He's not a therapist. He certainly doesn't want any of these men bursting into tears on him. 

He should leave. He should let them decide. Let them fight, let Barbara use her gun if she has to because surely she can keep order. This isn't his fight. This isn't his family. 

But Batman is. Batman is his legacy. It's in his story now, as much as it is in theirs. 

“I was the first one. The first Robin,” Dick says. “I should do it. It's more my legacy.”

“Tt!” Damian cuts in. “Don't be ridiculous, Grayson. You're a traitor to the name. I have his blood. The mantle is mine.”

Tim looks close to shrieking. “You're an assassin! The leader! Of assassins!”

“Neither of you were born in Gotham like the old man was,” Jason adds. He flicks out a pack of cigarettes and just smirks at Barbara as she tries to grab them out of his hand. “Nah-ah, Barbie. I'm old enough we've seen it doesn't cause damage.” 

“To you,” Barbara replies. “What would Alfred say if you ruined anything in here with your habit? At least smoke out the window.” 

It's bizarre to see the hulking man crack open the window, but he does so. Terry is pretty sure he fell into an alternate universe at this time because there wasn't much of a fight about it, only a sour look on the other man's face. “We're sons of Gotham. I'm in better shape than any of you-”

“I'm the closest mental profile to Bruce,” Drake cuts in. “Our backgrounds are most similar.”

“That's absolutely ridiculous, Drake. Do you even hear yourself speak?” Damian examines his nails, but his green eyes are sharp and calculating, despite the “You're the weak link. The worst one to take over my father's legacy.”

Terry's never seen Tim Drake, the real Tim Drake, angry. He sees it now and in those clear blue eyes there's something like rage. “You left him.” His voice is quiet and steady and somehow terrifying at the same time. “You didn't come back even when he called for you. Say what you want about having his blood but the other half of you is made of monsters, Damian.” 

“Hey now-” Dick protests weakly. It's clear this has been a long standing battle. There's something familiar in Damian's face, now that Terry thinks about it. Something that doesn't come from Bruce though he doesn't know exactly where he's seen it before. “If we can just talk about this like civilized people.” 

“Amen,” The police commissioner calls out, raising her voice again to call attention to herself. Terry kind of wants to hide behind her but, at the same time, he's not entirely sure she's on his side. This isn't the first time he's wondered what lengths she would go to in order to put an end to Batman again. For now she looks tired; if she's had a lifetime of dealing with these people in her family (or even as her coworkers) he's really not surprised.

He has a brief moment of panic, looking between Barbara Gordon and Damian Wayne, but they look nothing alike. That's certainly a relief. 

Barbara takes a measured sip from her drink and looks at the gathered men. “It can't be me,” She says at last, each word crisp and clear. “Professionally, it simply can't. Tim, are we to understand you're not throwing your hat into the ring?”

For a moment, the man looks conflicted, but at last he shakes his head a negative. “I'll be consult, if you really need it. But I don't want to get back into this. I'm out.” 

“Great.” She folds her hands, surveying the rest of them. She commands a room well. Like Bruce, Terry wants to say, but he's seen clips of Barbara's father. She had to learn from the best, didn't she? She's one of the most powerful women in the city and she fights the same fight he does, albeit in a different way. “Dick? In or out?” 

“If he is out then I demand single combat against Todd,” Damian announces. “For the honor of the cowl.” 

Todd snorts in reply. “You're seem to forgetting how you got here. Mainly tied up in a crate I shipped from your shithole empire. You ever going to let FedEx in? It would make it so much easier to-” 

“Jason!” Barbara barks at the same time Dick yells “No single combat!” They lock gazes and Terry's reminded of his parents. Even after everything had gone poorly between them they had presented a united front for him and Matt. 

“I would stay in Gotham if I needed to,” Dick decides at last. His finger slides under his eye patch and he rubs at his temples. It's both fascinating and disturbing to watch. He wonders what's underneath. “But I don't want Batman or what it represents.” 

Terry coughs a little. No one looks at him so he makes it louder, scooting closer to the Commissioner like that might help somehow if he can borrow her aura of being listened to. “He's not dead,” He points out again even if he feels like a broken audio clip playing over and over. “He'll get better, right? Then he can decide who he wants. Really all of this is temporary.” 

They look at him like he's a child. Except Damian. Damian looks at him like he's a rather annoying bug that has flown into his line of sight. 

“He's not going to just _pick_ one of us,” Dick explains to him with a kind of forced gentleness which is definitely an odd combination. “He's probably not going to remember anything he said or any amends we made. He'll chase us out again and we need a plain in place.” 

“If he gets better,” Jason points out and Dick's head jerks in his direction only to be met by a shrug. “What? No one wants to say it but you all have read the chart same as I have. It's a miracle he's had his mental faculties as long as he has. It's doubtful he's going to fully recover this time and whoever takes over now isn't going to be ousted when the old man is finally declared insane or dead.” 

“He's _Batman_ ,” Tim says earnestly. “How many times has he cheated death? How many times has he overcome a medical diagnosis? I agree we should be prepared but there is a real possibility this is only temporary.” 

Terry resists the urge to yell that he's been trying to tell them that all along. He could fight one of them, probably, but not all of them if they decided to do some type of tag team situation. Do Batman guidelines allow for throwing antique chairs at one another? With Barbara actually arrest any of them? 

“I'm dividing this baby in two,” She says. “Make a schedule. You both can help out. Terry will benefit from the width and wisdom of your combined experience and we'll avoid a civil war because that didn't end so well last time.”

“Sorry, Babs, but who decided you were queen in this castle?” Jason asks. “Because I'm not really willing to hold hands with Dickface and have anyone breathing down my neck.”

“Which Bruce will be doing,” Tim points out. 

“If he's still breathing,” Jason counters. 

Terry grimaces. “It's almost like you are wishing he was dead.” 

The silence is heavy. “It _would_ make it easier,” Jason begins. 

“Bite your tongue, Todd, before I rip it out.” Damian rises to his feet in a graceful sweep. He's tall, like Bruce. Smaller in build, probably, though Bruce has lost a lot of muscle mass. Terry assumes that's what has happened anyway; the suits seem so much bigger than the man himself these days. 

“I'm taking a break,” Dick says. He's out of the room before any of them can respond. 

“Drama queen,” Jason mutters and blows out a ring of smoke. 

Barbara rolls her eyes and gets up as well. Terry trails after her and promises himself it isn't like a lost puppy. 

He goes to check on Bruce. Bruce is sleeping comfortably, save for the frown creasing his brow. “What now, Mr. Wayne?” Terry asks him. The oxygen mask is still on his face. There are still monitors and alarms on him to make certain someone is alerted if he goes wandering. But what Jason said strikes him. Bruce is alive, he might pull through physically, but they have no indication of how long it will last or how sharp his mind will be. 

Batman is untouchable. Invincible. Bruce Wayne is just a man and it's painful to remember. He sinks into a chair next to the bed and simply stares. It's tempting to stay there and hide and let his crazy children (disowned, blood, adopted, or otherwise) fight it out and just accept what comes. He does need someone in his ear, loathe as he is to admit it. He needs someone feeding him intel information quickly. He's learning the process, he has his own style, but if he's honest sometimes Bruce is the only thing that has come between him and certain death. 

Is he afraid to be without a safety net? He'd be crazy not to be. 

“This is such a mess,” He confesses to the old man lying on the bed. He's breathing on his own, if you don't count the oxygen. His vitals are returning to normal though they've still decided it's best to keep him mildly sedated. He hasn't spoken coherently in a few days. The doctors have advised that his mind needs to rest now that his body is on the mend. “I don't want to just give it up. It's mine. You picked _me_ and not any of them. Why?” Had it been a conscious decision or was Terry simply who was left? Bruce had resisted at first, that much was true, but they'd worked as a team after that. 

“You didn't know about most of us, did you?” Tim Drake stands casually in the doorway, waiting for Terry to acknowledge him before he approaches further. So far he's really been the only one to respect Terry's place here; that maybe he has a right to be everywhere in the Manor he wants to be and maybe he has as much of a stake in Bruce Wayne's fate and Batman's legacy as they do. “Can't say Bruce was ever talkative about the past even if it's absolutely his reason for doing everything he does.” 

He could pretend he knows everything. He could try to bluff his way through acting like he's done research on them all if it isn't believable that Bruce would have told him. But in the face of all this stress, he simply slumps because this son, if any of them, will see right through him. “Why didn't he?” Terry asks instead. “I know about his parents but everyone knows about them. I know about a few of his romances. Why not his family?”

“I think there's a time where he decided he couldn't think of us that way any more,” Tim replies as he moves to the chair across the bed from Terry and sits down. His gaze strays to Bruce but he doesn't reach out; he's always been so careful about avoiding touch with the older man. “He shoulders all the blame and guilt for what happened. For Dick leaving and for basically everything wrong with Jason before and after death. Of course you know about me-” There's that smile again. The one that Terry hates seeing because it reminds him of the Joker even if there's nothing left. “I don't think anyone knows what happened with Damian but it had to have been something major for the kid to move half way across the planet and take up his Grandfather's business.” 

Grandfather. Halfway across the world. It clicks into place and Terry must not be hiding his shock and disgust very well because Tim chuckles. “Be glad there's only one of him and that he's not as physically violent as he was when he was younger. Little shit. Though you didn't hear it from me.”

“He told me about Catwoman,” Terry replies when he finds his voice. “Like she was the worst villain he dated. I knew about Talia but not that he had a kid with her.” 

Tim shrugs in a good-natured way. “Honestly, I think he loved Selina. I'm not sure he ever loved Talia.” 

They sit in the quiet for a moment while Terry weighs the idea of Bruce talking about a woman he loved and a woman he may not have. Talia's dead now. Very dead (and Terry's slightly traumatized at the how and why) and Bruce had been in real pain. Because he'd loved her or because he couldn't save her? How would he tell a younger generation about Melanie or about Dana? Would it be any different?

“My dad died when I was younger than you,” Drake says at last. “Murdered by a villain. My mom was already gone by that point and Bruce adopted me. I think you know the story with Dick, because the world does. What else do you need to know?”

There's so much. So many unsaid things and unasked questions and he suddenly _needs_ Bruce to be okay because he wants these answers coming from him. “Jason? The Commissioner? Are there others?”

“Jason was another adoption situation and that's all I want to say because I don't fancy being stabbed again,” Tim replies dryly. “I stayed out of his relationship with Babs like it was an active volcano but I think they both knew it would never work and after that it was hard to even be friends. But she's good people. Her dad was a good person; she can never just give up and move on.” 

It makes so much sense. He hasn't been giving her enough credit, but damned if he's going to have a heart-to-heart with her. 

“There are a couple of others,” Tim adds. “They won't pop up to you, though. They went even more underground than the rest of us even if I'm pretty sure Bruce still keeps contact.” 

“Basically,” Terry replies. “You're going to give me the hints at answers but not spill any secrets.” 

He thinks Tim might argue more but instead he turns his head to the window and sighs. “Dick's about to get disemboweled by Damian.” 

That at least makes him feel suddenly alarmed and energetic and he darts to the window. “Should we call the cops?”

“Barbara is the cops,” Tim replies and seems way too calm about the situation. “Would you believe those two love each other the most?”

With the way Damian is shrieking at Dick and slashing at him, Terry wants to debate the validity of the statement. Instead he watches in horrified fascination as the two scuffle and Jason smokes off to the side, seemingly uncaring of what is going on a few yards away. 

“I'd go with Dick, if you get a choice,” Tim says after a moment. “Jason wants to put the suit on. Damian too.”

There would have been a time not long ago when Terry would have been relieved. He would have let them fight it out and been free of this. He could spend more time being a teenager. But now? He wants it. 

“They don't get the suit,” Bruce says. His voice is raspy from disuse, but he's slowly trying to sit up. Terry rushes to help. Tim stays where he is. 

“Welcome back,” Terry tells him and he really hopes the old man can't see the odd brightness to his eyes. 

“Dick and Damian are going to kill each other on your lawn,” Tim adds. 

Bruce smiles, and it's almost fond.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments always loved and appreciated. Prompts enjoyed, too! Drop them below or [here](http://strikeyourcolors.tumblr.com/ask).


End file.
